A mum has won a £15,000 payout after a male colleague told her that maternity leave was “like an extended holiday”.
Susanne Rice, from Belfast, brought a sex and age discrimination case against her former employer Flint Studios Ltd.
The Equality Commission said that the 36-year-old had been previously employed as an operations manager and had been the only woman on the company’s senior leadership team, Belfast Live reported.
It highlighted what she said she went through, including one situation where a senior male employee said that “women have the life of it on maternity leave” and he went onto claim it was “like an extended holiday”.”
Outlining the background, the commission said that: “Susanne discovered that she was pregnant at the end of January 2020, but did not disclose her pregnancy to her employer at an early stage because of her medical history.
“Susanne received a letter from her GP to advise that due to COVID-19 she had been added to the shielded list, as a pregnant woman.
“At the beginning of April 2020 Susanne’s employer asked her to send them a copy of her shielding letter.”
She was invited to a meeting on May 21 of that year, where she was informed that the redundancy process was starting.
Shortly after this meeting, she told Flint Studios Ltd that she was 20 weeks pregnant.
Then, on May 29, she was told of her redundancy and her contract was terminated on June 1.
The commission continued: “Susanne raised grievances with her employer, but these were not upheld and a further appeal was also dismissed.
“Susanne felt she was ignored when she raised concerns and made some suggestions for improvement around management issues.
“She felt uncomfortable with the way she was treated by other senior male staff; she believes she was treated this way because she was a woman and also because she was young.”
It went on to say that Susanne alleged that her former employee “excluded her from emails and meetings, preventing her from carrying out her job to the best of her ability”.
On one occasion she said that a male colleague told her: “I am older than you, I have more experience than you and so I know better”.
When a senior male employee claimed maternity leave was “like an extended holiday” Susanne said that she reminded attendees at the meeting that it was a woman’s right to take up to a year off on maternity leave and it wasn’t a holiday.
Speaking after the case was settled, Susanne said: “I went into this job with an enthusiastic commitment to help the company achieve its goals.
“I felt my professional contribution was ignored, and that I had been bullied, and I felt upset and humiliated at the way I was spoken to by senior management in front of other staff.
“The way my redundancy was handled severely affected my health and our family finances. However, I’ve moved on and am happy in my new workplace. I feel my skills are valued there and I’m now enjoying my work and my family life.”
Mary Kitson, Senior Legal Officer, Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, said that all employers “should be committed to diversity in the workplace, it should be led from the top and understood by all employees”.
She added: “A genuinely progressive organisation will carry out its legal responsibilities and provide equal opportunities. It will not stereotype and exclude women and will ensure that pregnant employees feel welcome and valued in the workplace.
“Promoting equality for women at work is a priority for the Commission, and a particular focus is encouraging women to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
“We are delighted that Susanne is now working in a role where she feels valued and is able to give her best at work, while balancing her family life. This should be possible for all women.”
The Commission added that the case “settled before it went to hearing”.
They added: “As part of the settlement terms, Flint Studios Ltd affirmed its commitment to the principle of equality of opportunity in employment and Flint Studios Ltd undertook to liaise with the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland to review its policies and procedures relating to equal opportunities and sexual harassment.”
A spokesman for Flint Studios said: “Flint Studios is committed to promoting equality and opportunity in the workplace. This matter was settled on a commercial basis and without admission of liability.”
